Hanoi (VNA) ꧋– Vietnamese State President Luong Cuong and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with the press in Hanoi on March 28 morning to inform about the outcomes of their earlier talks.

Speaking at the press conference, President Cuong expressed his pleasure to welcome President Lula da Silva, a close friend of Vietnam, to visit Vietnam at a very meaningful time, right on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of National Reunification and the 80th anniversary of National Day of Vietnam. Affirming that the official talks with President Lula da Silva took place in an atmosphere of closeness, openness, mutual trust and with very good results, the State President said that the two sides highly appreciated the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in November 2024. Economic and trade cooperation is one of the pillars of the relationship, with turnover reaching approximately 8 billion USD in 2024. However, the two sides also recognised that there is still huge room for cooperation and development, the two economies are complementary to each other, with advantages in population and consumer demand, and therefore the two countries will continue to strive to bring trade turnover to 15 billion USD by 2030. On the multilateral perspective, the Vietnamese leader affirmed that the two countries maintain close coordination, cooperation and mutual support at international forums and organisations. The two sides also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern and shared stances in support of resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, especially the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He affirmed that the two sides also agreed to continue promoting expanded cooperation and experience exchange in areas that can complement each other such as high technology, green development, digital transformation, renewable energy and innovation. At the same time, they agreed to continue exchanging and negotiating cooperation documents on judicial assistance, investment protection, technical cooperation and visas to create conditions for further development of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. On this occasion, President Cuong thanked President Lula da Silva and the Brazilian Government for deciding to recognise Vietnam as a market economy. This is an important step to acknowledge Vietnam's efforts in innovation and integration and facilitate trade relations between the two countries. The State President said that Vietnam acknowledges and will actively consider issues of concern to the Brazilian Government and businesses, including the issue of opening the market for beef products as well as cooperation possibilities in other areas such as energy, science and technology, environment, defence and security. President Cuong firmly believed that President Lula da Silva's state visit to Vietnam this time has contributed to concretising the content and orientation for the development of the Vietnam - Brazil Strategic Partnership in the coming time, meeting the aspirations and interests of the people of the two countries, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the two regions and the world. For his part, Brazilian President Lula da Silva expressed his pleasure to return to Hanoi - the city of thousand-year culture - after 17 years since his first visit in 2008 and accompanying him this time is an important delegation, including ministers, parliamentarians, union representatives and businessmen.

Assessing that the world situation has undergone profound changes with unpredictable developments and dangerous conflicts in many parts of the world, President Lula da Silva affirmed that Brazil always persistently supports the path of dialogue and all efforts to resolve disagreements must follow this direction. Emphasising that both Brazil and Vietnam support the building of a multipolar order, the Brazilian President said that Latin America and Southeast Asia need to avoid the world falling into the division of spheres of influence and the best path is non-alignment. For this reason, the two countries agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership in November 2024. President Lula da Silva announced that the two sides have approved a comprehensive action plan for the 2025-2030 period, which will help promote cooperation in many areas. With two-way trade turnover approaching the threshold of 8 billion USD, Brazil currently exports more to Vietnam than to some European countries, and therefore Brazil has decided to join the group of more than 70 countries that recognise Vietnam as a market economy. The Brazilian leader affirmed that opening the Vietnamese market to Brazilian beef will attract Brazilian meat processors to invest in Vietnam, turning it into an export hub to Southeast Asian countries. Along with that, Brazil also wants to increase exports of higher value-added products, including aircraft. According to President Lula da Silva, during Brazil's presidency of MERCOSUR from July 2025, the country will promote a balanced agreement with Vietnam that will benefit both sides. The Brazilian President also made it clear that there is no area of cooperation more strategic for the future of the two developing countries than education, science and technology. Therefore, in the near future, universities of the two countries will be able to implement exchange programmes for lecturers and students as well as other cooperation initiatives. In addition, the two sides are also studying partnerships in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital technology, biotechnology and renewable energy. President Lula da Silva also announced that he had extended an invitation to President Cuong for Vietnam to attend two important international events that Brazil will host this year, including the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Belém.

Pointing out that Vietnam and Brazil are the two largest coffee producing countries in the world, both of which have seen their recent crops affected by climate change, President Lula da Silva affirmed that the two sides are determined to expand technical cooperation to enhance the resilience of coffee plants to these impacts.

On this occasion, President Lula da Silva thanked President Cuong for Vietnam's participation in the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which will soon launch pilot projects in many countries.

The Brazilian President also mentioned the passion for football as a bond between the two countries; congratulating the Vietnamese team on winning the Southeast Asian championship, with the participation of Rafaelson - a Brazilian player who has acquired Vietnamese citizenship and was the tournament's top scorer. President Lula da Silva affirmed that Nguyen Xuan Son, Rafaelson's Vietnamese name, is a testament to what Brazil and Vietnam can achieve when working together.

ღ On the occasion of the 35th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Lula da Silva expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to foster friendship, mutual respect and cooperation in the next 35 years and beyond./.